• World Technopolis Review
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.21-42
• /
• 2019

The purpose of this research was to investigate the factors influencing global expansion/scalability of Kenyan Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Factor analysis and multiple/multivariate regression analysis to determine the functional relationship between independent variables (factors) and the dependent variable was used. The independent variables were: innovation & technology, fitness/appropriateness of management, global marketing strategy; and support environment and the dependent variable, global expansion/scalability. Data was collected from a survey of randomly selected firms of 205, drawn from a population of 440 firms from Kenya Manufacturers Directory, with 175 firms responding. The key findings from the research in relation to Kenyan SMEs were that: there is a functional relationship between global market strategy and global expansion; there is a functional relationship between innovation and technology orientation and global expansion, there is no significant functional relationship between supportive environment of firms and their global expansion; and there is no significant functional relationship between fitness/appropriateness of management and global expansion/scalability. The implications for practice is that the ranking of the factors in order of priority supports focusing concern on the orientation of business strategy toward global market strategy, market research geared at obtaining foreign market intelligence, innovation and technology, product adaptation, service orientation, collaborative ventures, and long-range vision as key factors in making Kenyan firms successful in the international market. The implication for policy and practice is that there is need for collaboration between industry and government in pursuing policies for global expansion/scalability and among SMEs and large enterprises particularly in areas of rapid technological change.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.1-34
• /
• 2017

It is almost impossible for firms to possess all of resources and capabilities needed to create technological innovations in modern competitive environment. This situation forces firms to conduct R&D collaboration. Therefore, this paper analyzes an effect of appropriability protecting knowledge exclusively on R&D collaboration and product innovation performance. In addition, we investigate how the governmental R&D support moderates and influences those relationships through empirical analysis. The results of moderated mediation show that the impact of appropriability on product innovation performance appears to be a common pattern in each conditional indirect effect of appropriability regardless of financial, direct, indirect R&D support of the government. The more governmental R&D supports increase over a certain level, the more conditional indirect effects of appropriability on product innovation performance increase through the vertical R&D collaboration. However, conditional indirect effects of appropriability through horizontal R&D collaboration are not significant in all levels of government R&D supports. If we utilize an analysis of moderated mediation by applying governmental R&D supports as a moderator, it is possible to analyze a significant strength of innovation policies and their performance. Therefore, this paper would make a contribution to an evolution of governmental R&D support and an effective formulation of innovation policy.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.1-21
• /
• 2011

In this era of convergence, which is characterized by the integration and combination of technology and industries, broadcasting and communications, offline and online, and devices and services, the content industry is also experiencing rapid changes including inter-genre exchange, the creation of new industries, and customized demand. Specifically, IT-based digital content industries such as the online game, e-book, mobile contents and web portal industries are no longer restricted to the boundaries of video, music and games but are being expanded into the realms of education, medicine, fashion and sports thanks to CT innovation of 3D, CG, AR/VR, VFX, etc. As such, various countries have come to recognize the convergent content industry as a new growth engine that will pick up where the IT industry left off, and are forming policies for its development accordingly. This research aims to optimize the system of content taxonomy which is currently genre-focused and unable to support technological development and convergence, and to discover and select star contents to be rigorously developed with governmental support. In this paper, 20 star contents in 8 areas were selected, and these are expected to create tremendous cultural and economic value through ongoing technological and industrial development.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.44 no.4
• /
• pp.264-274
• /
• 2023

Purpose: The objective is to extract insights that can contribute to the formulation of harmonized international policies and support measures for innovative medical devices and management systems. This study aims to propose effective strategies for future medical device innovation and healthcare delivery. Results: It investigates technological advancements, regulatory approval systems, insurance policies, and successful commercialization cases in South Korea, the United States, and the European Union. In 2018, the FDA implemented insurance coverage for Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) and recognized insurance coverage for Digital Therapeutics (DTx). Germany is a country that ensures permanent reimbursement for healthcare applications since 2020, making it the first country to provide legal health insurance coverage for fostering a digital ecosystem. Conclusion: The findings of this research highlight the importance of cultivating a supportive regulatory and environmental framework to facilitate the adoption of innovative medical devices. Continuous support for research and development (R&D) efforts by companies, along with the validation of clinical effectiveness, is crucial.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.1-43
• /
• 2019

The significance of SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) is gradually highlighted as we have entered the age of "New Normal." The South Korean government support these enterprises to boost economic growth and create more jobs. It also releases numerous policies such as national R&D projects and expanding tax incentive services particularly aiming at promoting dramatic investment in R&D and technological innovation. There is a sharp contrast regarding the efficiency of direct or indirect supports for encouraging R&D investment launched by SMEs depending on researchers. However, there has been little attempt to explore the optimal combination of two policy tools. Amid promoting affiliated governmental departments in charge of SMEs policies and constantly growing R&D investment, it is an appropriate time to discuss the medium and long-term direction for the optimal policy mix of direct and indirect supports. In this study, the author obtained 32 relevant studies published earlier in the domestic journals, explored literatures more systematically, and further conducted a meta-analysis. It is dedicated to summarizing relevant controversies and organizes them empirically beyond merely verifying whether policy support stimulates private R&D investment by SMEs. The meta-analysis showed that it would be effective to support as tax for large enterprises, while subsidiary support for SMEs. However, indirect support needs to be progressively increased as direct support primarily accounts for the entire R&D support for South Korean SMEs.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.57-89
• /
• 2016

This paper used individual establishment level data to estimate the effects of government support for the research and development of 'small and medium enterprises'(SMEs). We analyzed, on the establishment level, the degree of technical advancement, strength of private R&D incentives, and the effect on employment levels of firms which participated in the 2010 government R&D support project. The results of this study are as follows. First, the size and frequency of government investment in the R&D of SMEs were both positively correlated with the amount of patent registrations. Furthermore, we found that the amount of patent registrations were positively correlated with the size of the establishments, but the average level of technological advancement for the firms running the research was lower than the average level of technological advancement for the firms merely participating in the project. Second, the government's R&D policy was found to be complementary to private R&D incentives, and a 1% increase in government R&D investment resulted in an inelastic increase (0.193~0.245%) of the firms' post-program R&D spending. Third, we found that R&D support from the government contributed to an increase of employment by the participating firms. Additionally, we found that the impact of R&D support on job creation varied for the firm size and technological characteristics. Therefore, it is important for governments to take into consideration each type of small business, when setting R&D policies.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.33-44
• /
• 2015

This study reviews technological innovation to examine science, technology, and innovation (STI) policies and strategies for academy-industry cooperation for innovation and entrepreneurship in Daejeon. STI policy in Daejeon is based on a vision that harmonizes regional and national policies at a regional level, fostering of a key innovation cluster and strategic industries in Daejeon, and a new growth engine of converging industries such as information technology (IT), biotechnology (BT), and nanotechnology (NT). This paper proposes the following: First, considering the harmony of national and regional policies, STI policy should be promoted at the regional level considering venture and SMEs. Second, we recommend nurturing a global innovation cluster as part of a regional STI and venture ecosystem. This will support the region of Daejeon as the heart of a global innovation cluster by having Daedeok Innopolis and the International Science and Business Belt as its two major axes. Third, we recommend strengthening academy-industry cooperation in Sejong and other regions.

• The Journal of Small Business Innovation
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.15-26
• /
• 2018

SMEs need a strategy to respond to rapid changes in the global business environment of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In order to overcome such a business environment, SMEs must concentrate on the core competency. Because of the structural characteristics of SMEs, government support is very important, as it is difficult for SMEs to carry out the entire supply chain role. The support of GRIs is very important for ensuring competitiveness through technological innovation of SMEs. Recently, the construction of SMEs network for business expansion is demanded. SMEs can form networks to induce synergistic effects. In order to secure the competitiveness of SMEs by utilizing the advantages of mutually cooperating networks, the necessity of cooperation of SMEs is increasing. The government has proposed various support programs to support network cooperation. In this research, in order to derive an effective strategy of the SME support program, we analyzed the difference in necessity and satisfaction of the GRIs support program. We analyze the differences between government policies and perceptions for SMEs and to derive strategies for supporting SMEs in a systematic approach for the development of SMEs. In a situation where research to revitalize SMEs is insufficient, in consideration of the market demand of SMEs, we grasp the problems of the current system and try to guide improvement strategies. Also, we suggest policies that can derive and utilize support strategies for SMEs. From a long-term perspective, research related SMEs must be conducted and a sustainable support program for SMEs must be developed.

• Asian Journal of Innovation and Policy
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.110-147
• /
• 2022

Many megacities are exposed to natural hazards such as earthquakes, and when located in coastal regions, are also vulnerable to hurricanes and tsunamis. The physical infrastructures of transportation systems in megacities have become so complicated that very few organizations can understand their response to extreme events such as earthquakes and can effectively mitigate subsequent economic downfalls. The technological advances made in recent years to support these complex systems have not grown as fast as the rapid demand on these systems burdened by population shift toward megacities. The objective of this paper is to examine the risks imposed on and recoveries of transportation systems in megacities as the result of extreme events such as an earthquake. First, the physical damage to transportation infrastructure, loss of the transportation system performance, and the corresponding economic loss from disruptions to passenger and freight traffic is evaluated. Then, traffic flows are re-routed to reduce vehicles' delay due to earthquakes using a microscopic traffic flow simulator with an optimization model and macroscopic terminal simulator. Finally, the economic impact of the earthquake is estimated nationwide. Southern California is regarded as the region of study. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the integrated model and provide what and how to prepare innovative resilience policies of urban infrastructure for a natural disaster occurrence.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.1366-1385
• /
• 2018

Recently, government policy focuses on R&D subsidies for venture firms in the early and medium stage. However, due to the 'asymmetric information' on those firms, a concern about the possibility of adverse selection of government policy, that is, whether the R&D subsidies are offered to the less-growth potential venture firms is on the rise. Therefore, based on the "2015 venture firm's survey" data in Korea, we compared the managerial efficiency of venture firms in manufacturing sectors by dividing them into beneficiary and non-beneficiary groups at government R&D subsidies. We found that the beneficiary groups showed lower managerial efficiency than non-beneficiary groups, even if they are superior to non-beneficiary groups in technological performance. We also observed that the phenomenon involve 'low managerial efficiency in the beneficiary groups' is more relevant in mid-high tech. manufacturing sectors. Our findings provide an exploratory empirical evidence of the concern about adverse selection in the selection of R&D subsidies beneficiary groups. Therefore, the government should consider managerial performance as the key criteria for selecting R&D subsidies beneficiary groups, rather than depending on technological performance solely. Furthermore, the government should develop other complementary policies to support financial performance of the groups. Lastly, the government should make those policies attract venture firms with potential to achieve financial performance.